The 2014 NHL Draft goes Friday and Saturday from scenic Philadelphia, PA. The Calgary Flames own five picks in the first three rounds. To edify my own curiosity, I went ahead and made a fancy table of every Flames pick in the first three rounds since 2001 - the year Tod Button became head scout and began running the draft board. Each player is listed in overall order, and listed with the number of pro games they've played split into North America's three major leagues (the NHL, the AHL and the ECHL).

Table after the jump!

Pick

Year

Player

NHLGP

AHLGP

ECHLGP

4

2014

TBA

6

2013

Monahan

75

9

2003

Phaneuf

680

10

2002

Nystrom

487

109

13

2011

Baertschi

53

73

14

2001

Kobasew

601

139

21

2012

Jankowski

22

2013

Poirier

2

23

2009

Erixon

51

132

24

2004

Chucko

2

277

24

2007

Backlund

246

55

25

2008

Nemisz

15

220

26

2005

Pelech

13

386

26

2006

Irving [G]

13

194

8

28

2013

Klimchuk

4

34

2014

TBA

39

2002

McConnell

138

39

2003

Ramholt

1

210

41

2001

Taratukhin

80

42

2012

Sieloff

2

45

2011

Granlund

7

52

48

2008

Wahl

71

148

54

2014

TBA

56

2001

Medvedev [G]

57

2011

Wotherspoon

14

48

64

2010

Reinhart

19

134

64

2014

TBA

67

2013

Kanzig

69

2005

Baldwin

263

41

70

2004

Prust

369

221

70

2007

Negrin

3

143

53

73

2010

Leach

6

59

74

2005

Ryder

45

4

74

2008

Howse

59

20

75

2012

Gillies [G]

78

2008

Bouma

121

95

83

2014

TBA

87

2006

Armstrong

177

140

89

2006

Marvin

5

65

90

2002

Lombardi

536

86

97

2003

Donally

104

105

98

2004

Boyd

220

136

-Four straight-up bust first rounders here in Chucko, Pelech, Irving and Nemisz. Granted, Chucko might've turned into a Lance Bouma-esque depth guy had it not been for concussion issues. At least the Flames got a roster player for Nemisz, right?

-Third-round mistakes: Baldwin, Ryder, Howse, Armstrong, Marvin, Donally. Good thirds: Reinhart, Prust, Bouma, Lombardi. Negrin is roughly what I expect from a third rounder - a depth guy for the farm team, verging on being a tweener in the NHL at times.

Ryan Pike has covered the Calgary Flames since 2010. He's Senior Contributing Editor at FlamesNation, a Senior Writer covering the Flames and the NHL Draft for The Hockey Writers, and a correspondent for the Fischler Report. You can see his hand or the side of his head on TV sometimes.

Given that we have two 2nd & two 3rds, I hope the odds are better for us this year than what history suggests!

unrelated - If Florida is hell bent on selling the 1st overall, I have a feeling Vancouver is going to make a push for it to select local boy Sam Reinhart.

I really hope this happens because then Buffalo with #2 (already with strong prospects on defense) likely take Bennett. Given EDM prospect pool is strong on defense and weak on forwards, MacTavish decides to take the big German since that man crush runs too deep. Ekblad then falls to Flames!

Jokes aside, I want to feel better about the past 3 years, but there at 67 is Kanzig. I hope he succeeds, but he feels like a huge waste of a third given his NHLE, and a perfect example of drafting for size, not skill.

We have a lot of picks this year, and it could be a pivotal draft if we can improve our depth at key positions. Or we could draft more coke machines. I remain cautiously optimistic!

I'll also mention that the latest incarnation of sham sharron, which is literally a non-existent entity, beat the flames drafting over this period as well. so the flames did worse than anyone could have done had you just given them the spreadsheets and a basic understanding of math and age.

The second most successful pick in terms of games played is Chuck Kobasew. That's some kind of special awful. Granted it looks like Backlund and Monahan should surpass him but still. And this survery just missed the Krahn, Saprykin, Fata, Tkaczuck first round whiffs.....

I'll also mention that the latest incarnation of sham sharron, which is literally a non-existent entity, beat the flames drafting over this period as well. so the flames did worse than anyone could have done had you just given them the spreadsheets and a basic understanding of math and age.

Yeah, the ol' "even a blind squirrel eventually finds a nut" analogy. Irregardless of the last couple of drafts, Button should have been let go ages ago - horrible drafting for over a decade is what has decimated this Franchise - I lay this on Ken King's shoulders.

I'll also mention that the latest incarnation of sham sharron, which is literally a non-existent entity, beat the flames drafting over this period as well. so the flames did worse than anyone could have done had you just given them the spreadsheets and a basic understanding of math and age.

It is fascinating to hear management types talk about how important scouting is, yet the success rate is pretty much 1 in 4 regardless. Wouldn't it be interesting to see a team dispense with amateur scouting altogehter - use Central Scouting's list and then spend money on development. Instead of employing 10 scouts - have 10 developmental coaches that just work with the guys you have already drafted. Each guy would only have 2 or 3 amateurs to be responsible for.

It is fascinating to hear management types talk about how important scouting is, yet the success rate is pretty much 1 in 4 regardless. Wouldn't it be interesting to see a team dispense with amateur scouting altogehter - use Central Scouting's list and then spend money on development. Instead of employing 10 scouts - have 10 developmental coaches that just work with the guys you have already drafted. Each guy would only have 2 or 3 amateurs to be responsible for.

I think that there are about 10 core players on a team. over a decade, they need to be replaced. essentially, if you're finding one top-6 forward or one top-4 defenseman per draft, you're doing a good job. I count 3 guys (lombardi, backlund, phaneuf) that qualify under that. I think there are 6 maybes too (last year's first rounders, erixon, granlund and baertschi). if I'm being generous, instead of finding 10 in 10 - which I think should be the goal - button has found like 8 in 13.

regardless, if your department was operating at 60% efficiency and you were the head of it, there would be significant reprimands because of it. I'm pretty sure it's fair to blame the head of amateur scouting for poor amateur scouting. the "sutter drafted those guys" defense doesn't work either: if button's input wasn't being used, what incentive would there have been to employ him?

To be fair to Irving, he may still make it in the NHL. He's certainly close. He's not a legitimate bust. However, picking him in the 1st round does illustrate rather graphically why you don't pick goalies in the first round ever!

I think that there are about 10 core players on a team. over a decade, they need to be replaced. essentially, if you're finding one top-6 forward or one top-4 defenseman per draft, you're doing a good job. I count 3 guys (lombardi, backlund, phaneuf) that qualify under that. I think there are 6 maybes too (last year's first rounders, erixon, granlund and baertschi). if I'm being generous, instead of finding 10 in 10 - which I think should be the goal - button has found like 8 in 13.

Agree with your numbers 2-3 guys per year; but you didn't comment on my premise to completely dispense with team amateur scouting. I know it won't happen but it is an interesting what if ....

To be fair to Irving, he may still make it in the NHL. He's certainly close. He's not a legitimate bust. However, picking him in the 1st round does illustrate rather graphically why you don't pick goalies in the first round ever!

I think we may be giving Button too much credit/blame. During the Sutter years I don't think he had much say as the slugs we tended to pick in the first round had Darrel's fingerprints all over them. I don't know if the Feaster drafts were generally better because Button had more say or Feaster/Weisbrod did. That is why this year should be interesting.

Do we think it's Button or the fact that Darryl Sutter was a one man show as GM of this team for so long? Is the fact that the drafting has improved over the last couple of years more an indication of a more open consensus between Button and Feaster/Weisbrod?

This TSN article put things in perspective for me a little however, it really is a crap-shoot:

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=69581

And speaking of taking goalies in the first round.... The 1990 Draft was a particularly memorable one for me, as I was super stoked on Trevor Kidd's flashy pads and insanely sweet mullet, after reading this though, I am so depressed on so many levels:

"The Flames and Devils swapped picks on draft day (1990) in what would become a goalie swap. Calgary moved up to 13 to take Trevor Kidd. The Devils used Calgary's pick on Martin Brodeur."

so has holditch, and I'll remind you about 2008. means nothing. their job description is what they do. the flames are poor in those areas. simple.

…OVERsimple.

The drafting has drastically improved in the years since Sutter's departure. Especially when you look at the late round picks made by the organization. So, what's more likely? That Button is a terrible scout (though widely respected) who just turned into a good scout in the last 3 drafts that just so happened to coincide with Sutter's autocratic regime coming to an end? Or that a massive change in organizational philosophy culminating with the ousting of Sutter allowed for Button along with Feaster and Wisebrod to improve the flames stable of prospects dramatically in the 3 years since…?

The logic of blaming Button for a series of decisions that weren't REALLY his to make seems flawed to me. His job is to inform the decision makers so that they can make the best decision. If they decide they know better or to disregard his input altogether then what more can he actually do?